


Half of a Whole

by Itneveroccurredtomeatall



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Inception (2010), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Crossover, INFINITY WAR SPOILER, M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Wakanda (Marvel), brief mention of Cobb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-05-16 03:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14803689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itneveroccurredtomeatall/pseuds/Itneveroccurredtomeatall
Summary: SPOILERS FOR THE END OF INFINITY WAR!!!When half of the world's population disappears, including Eames, Arthur feels like he's lost everything. He's determined to get Eames back and, in order to do so, he must ally himself with the remaining Avengers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> I saw Infinity War and started writing this at the beginning of May. I've written a few chapters after this, but it's definitely not done yet and I'm still working out where the story will go. I will keep working on it though, and if you have any really strong desires for it, let me know and I'll take them into consideration!
> 
> Feel free to leave comments and suggestions!
> 
> Right now, there's just some language and death, but the rating may change later on and I'll update the tags as we go.
> 
> Also, I don't own anything!

“Let’s go to Canada,” Arthur suggested as they strolled through one of Paris’ lovely gardens. The flowers were blooming around them and children were playing on the large stretches of grass. Arthur was out of his usual suit, instead opting for black jeans and a white button down, while Eames wore one of his usual patterned shirts and beige pants.

“I have heard the Canadians are quite friendly,” Eames agreed, “but I was actually thinking we might go to London next.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows. “London? Are you feeling a little homesick?” he teased.

Eames grinned and ducked his head. “No, but… my sister is dying to meet you.”

Arthur froze and Eames looked at him intently.

“Of course, if it’s too much…”

“No, no, it’s just… I-I think it’s cute that you want me to meet your family.” At first, Arthur had been planning to tease Eames. But then he realized that what he had said was true. It was, in fact, cute of Eames to try to introduce Arthur to his family. “London sounds perfect, Eames.”

“You’re going to love it, darling,” Eames said with a grin.

“You do know that I have been to London many times, Eames,” Arthur pointed out. “A few of them were even with you.”

“I know,” Eames replied. “But you haven’t been to _my_ London. You haven’t seen the school I went to when I was younger or the house I grew up in, including my room which is still covered with mildly embarrassing posters, or the store I almost got arrested at for theft, which is still, to this day, the only time I have ever been caught. You haven’t tried the best fish and chips in the country, now have you?”

Arthur shook his head. “I have not,” he replied with a smile.

Eames laughed. “I’ll give you a very personal tour,” he said with a grin. “Probably starting with my room. Arthur, I-”

One moment he had been there laughing as they meandered through the Jardin du Luxembourg. The next, he was gone.

Arthur watched in shock and horror as Eames began to vanish.

“Eames, Eames!” he reached out to grab the man’s arm, only to find himself clutching ashes as Eames’ body collapsed into a small pile of ash. He was vaguely aware of other crying out, but nothing mattered but the small pile of ashes in front of him.

******

His first call was to Cobb.

The man answered on the first ring. “Arthur.” He sounded upset.

“Cobb, what the fuck is happening?” Arthur demanded.

He had always counted on Cobb to have the right answer. After all, it was Cobb who had found him in Kansas and taken him to New York where they explored dream sharing with Mal. It was Cobb who had helped Arthur get accepted into the Army’s advanced dream share program when Arthur had been uncertain of what he wanted to do with his life. It was Cobb who had introduced him to Eames on a job in Shanghai. And it was Cobb who had, despite royally fucking up, gotten them all out of the Fischer Job alive, with all their brain cells intact.

“I-I don’t know,” Cobb replied. Arthur could hear Cobb struggling to keep his voice calm and controlled. “James- he disappeared.”

Arthur’s heart plummeted as he glanced at the photo of Dom, Mal, Philippa and James on the fridge. He rested his head in his hands on their apartment kitchen table.

“I’m watching the news now,” Cobb continued, “and it’s everywhere, Arthur. People are just disappearing.”

“This isn’t- that’s not-”

“Possible? Arthur, it’s real.”

“Shit.”

*******

Arthur had always been afraid of losing Eames. He had imagined that the man would eventually grow tired of him and leave in search of someone new, someone better. To be honest, it wouldn’t be that hard to find someone better. Most people were, in many ways, better than Arthur. He was a workaholic. He was insensitive, bordering on rude. He rarely opened up. He hid all his relationships from his family and all his family from his relationships. He’d heard all of these from nearly everyone he had dated in the past. Eames could have had anyone. But, for some unknown reason, he had chosen to stay with Arthur.

In contrast, few people were better than Eames, in Arthur’s opinion. Somehow, Eames made time for everyone. And he didn’t seem upset by having to take time out of his day to help others. They had once been running down the street after a job gone terribly wrong and Eames had helped a family catch their escaped dog before it could run into traffic. He had even made time for Arthur when Eames found him drinking at the bar alone, after Arthur had spent their first three jobs steadfastly ignoring Eames and his advances. He had plopped himself down on the stool next to Arthur and paid for the rest of his drinks that night while listening to Arthur drunkenly rant about their incompetent coworkers, including Eames himself. Eames even cared about their marks. For him they were people worth understanding on a deeper level while, for Arthur, they remained mere objects that he had been tasked with gathering facts about. Arthur was, though he would never tell Eames, in awe of how much the man could care without being massively overwhelmed. Arthur had enough problems of his own; he didn’t have time for anyone else’s problems, but Eames made time for everyone’s problems.

And Arthur was going to get him back. No matter what it took.

So, he found himself doing what he did best: research. And then more research. And then, somehow, even more research. Arthur locked himself inside and thrust himself into trying to figure out what had happened with reckless abandon. He barely slept and only nibbled on cereal to keep himself fed. He dutifully hacked into various governments’ servers and unearthed many buried secrets, but had no luck on the whole everyone-turned-in-to-ashes problem until the fifth day. The information was buried in SHIELD’s files and mentioned a catastrophic event in Wakanda six days ago involving a massive battle and a few of the Avengers.

He immediately booked a ticket and, the next day, Arthur was on a plane headed to Africa.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur arrives in Wakanda and meets a stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long! I've made a new goal to try and finish this before Avengers: Endgame comes out, so hopefully the rest will come faster!

The plane ride was largely uneventful and the journey passed by in a blur. Arthur was exhausted and he quickly drifted off, letting him wake up to Wakanda’s bright sun streaming through the plane’s small window. He’d dreamt that nothing had gone wrong, that Eames hadn’t disappeared before his very eyes. They’d gone to London and Eames had shown Arthur his old hangouts. The fish and chips had been quite good and Eames’ sister had walked in on them fucking on Eames’ childhood bed. She’d laughed it off and, once they were dressed, hugged Eames tightly and then Arthur before they left for the reservation at a nearby restaurant. The plane landed just as the food was being served, jolting Arthur back into reality. 

“Welcome to Wakanda,” the pilot said over the speaker system. “We hope that you enjoy your stay.” 

Arthur immediately stood, ignoring the slight hollow feeling in his leg from sitting for so long and the dryness in his throat, and grabbed his carry-on bag from the overhead compartment. He followed the slow-moving line off the plane and suspended metal tunnel into the airport which was, much like the plane ride, practically empty. 

It appeared that only the necessary staff was working: a handful of security guards, the flight crews, two people for check-in, and one border patrol officer. All the shops and restaurants were closed. He imagined that potential travelers had opted for staying home rather than traveling. 

Arthur couldn’t blame them. If Eames was still here, Arthur wouldn’t have let him out of his sight. Not for anything. He would’ve had them holed up somewhere quiet and comfortable. Maybe their house in Wales.

Of all the properties between the two of them, the small cottage on the edge of an equally small Welsh village was Arthur’s favorite. Initially, he bought it as a safe house to lay low in. Who would think to look for him in a town of less than 1,000 people in coastal Llangrannog, Wales? But he had gotten to know the people and he’d spent many days lounging on the beach and walking the coastal path, pausing to sketch the landscape and listening to an audiobook about learning Welsh. And, despite having a rather large price on his head, he’d never felt so relaxed and comfortable. He’d never gotten to take Eames there. He wasn’t sure Eames would’ve liked it. Eames was, after all, a city boy at heart. And Llangrannog was the opposite of a city. He’d have been bored within a day. Not that it matters since he’s gone.  

Arthur quickly made his way to the border security office and was the first from his flight to arrive. 

He quietly slid his passport through the opening. Not his real one, of course. He’d buried that years ago. 

“Hugh Andrews?” 

Arthur nodded. “Yes.” 

“Come with me,” the woman said as she stood up and gestured for Arthur to follow her. 

He did so wearily, noting a guard’s weapon trained on him from across the room. He’d only been here ten minutes. Surely he hadn’t already done something wrong…. His passport had been made by the best so that wasn’t the problem…. 

He followed the woman to a room. It was really more of a closet and it was empty except for a few cardboard boxes lining the walls and two plastic stools sitting in the middle of the space.  

“Wait here,” she ordered him before promptly leaving and shutting and locking the door behind her.

Arthur set his bag down on one stool and sat on the other, but he had barely settled in when the door opened again revealing a different woman. 

She was younger than the border patrol officer and she looked ten times more exhausted than the border patrol officer. Her hair was brown with streaks of dark purple mixed in. 

“You’re quite good, you know,” she said with half smile. 

“Sorry?” Arthur furrowed his brow. 

“At hacking,” she clarified. “How long have you been doing it?” 

_ Shit _ . He must’ve left a trail when he’d been digging around in the government’s files. 

“I think you must have me mistaken for someone else,” he told her calmly. 

She shook her head. “I don’t think so, Arthur.” 

Arthur closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. This couldn’t be good. She knew who he was. She knew his name. She knew he’d hacked the government. She probably knew he was in dreamshare which wasn’t illegal… yet. The governments tended to pretend it didn’t exist; they didn’t want to admit to investing in the Pasiv device all those years ago only to let it leak out to criminals. 

“I’m impressed,” she said. “And I’m not going to arrest you. I want to talk to you… and I think you’ll want to talk with me.”

He met her gaze. 

“Daisy Johnson. I’m with S.H.I.E.L.D. and we’re working with the Avengers,” she said as she held out her hand.

Arthur stood and shook her hand. “Arthur.”   


	3. Chapter 3

Daisy snapped her fingers and the sound rang in the little room for a moment. “Just like that,” she said, “and half the world disappeared.” 

Arthur swallowed upon hearing the brief explanation of what had happened. 

Aliens weren’t anything new. He’d seen the Chittari attack in New York on TV. A coworker had been in New Mexico when Thor had arrived. Buy this, this was on a whole different scale. This was… insane. And, he hated to admit it, impressive. How had anyone accrued so much power? How brutal would someone need to be in order to do this? 

He almost didn’t want to ask the next question. “Can we get them back?”

“We don’t know,” she said solemnly. “But we’re going to try.” 

*******

Daisy had either kindly given him a ride or forcefully escorted him to the Wakandan Palace. Either way, Arthur was grateful. 

As the scenery flew by outside the window, he realized how much he didn’t know about Wakanda. When the news had come out that they were secretly technologically advanced, he hadn’t expected this. The city was gleaming and unlike anything he had ever seen. He saw things he didn’t even know the name for and could only guess at their purpose and it only made him feel even more desperate. If there was this much technology on Earth already, tucked away and hidden from the general public, what must it be like in space? What could someone from out there be capable of? How could they possibly do anything against an entity like that? He’d thought the Pasiv had been a lot, but Wakanda was… indescribable. 

Soon, they pulled into what he assumed was a garage and got out of the car.

“This way,” Daisy said as she led him through a doorway. 

Arthur grabbed his bag and shut the passenger door before following her through the doorway and into a long, narrow hallway. 

As they walked, Daisy stopped to introduce Arthur to a variety of curious onlookers. Including a young man who had shaken his hand rather enthusiastically and told him that, “Of course, the instant I stepped out of the Lighthouse, shit hits the fan” before informing him that the phrase “shit hits the fan” is an idiom and explaining why it was classified as such and then inviting himself to accompany them, a couple who barely paused an intense argument about the pros and cons of getting a dog to greet Arthur (the man was all but begging the woman for a dog), and a man and a-

“Nat?” 

It had taken him a moment as her hair was blonde now and shorter and he hadn’t seen her not-on-the-TV in years, but Arthur was certain it was Nat. 

She blinked in surprise before her face broke out into a slow grin. “Arthur, it’s been a long time. How are you?”

Arthur shrugged. “I’ve been better.”  

“Wait, you know each other?” Deke said with surprise as he looked back and forth between the two of them, as if their connection would become apparent the more he examined them.

“Let me guess,” the man who had been walking with Nat said. “You’re exes. No… you knew each other in Russia. He hired you that time you went undercover as a prostitute! He was the virgin who proposed to you at the end of the night!” he said with glee.

“We were trained in dreamshare together,” Nat informed him with a frown. “Don’t mind him. He’s been having a rough time lately.” 

“That was my next guess,” the man said with a slight frown. “Clint Barton.” He held out his hand to Arthur and they shook hands. 

“Arthur.” 

“We’re looking for May,” Daisy said. “Have you seen her?” 

Clint shrugged. “I think she’s talking with Cap. I wouldn’t bother them,” he said as his gaze darkened. 

“Alright, let’s find you a room, then,” Daisy said. “You can put your stuff away and freshen up and I’ll introduce you to May when they’re done.” 

“There’s one free on the sixth floor,” Nat informed Daisy. “I can take him up, if you want.” 

“Thanks,” Daisy replied. “I’ll come get you in a little while,” she told Arthur and he nodded in response. 

*******

Arthur sighed as he bid Nat goodbye and shut the door. He set his bag on the edge of the bed and retreated to the bathroom to wash his face. 

The water was cool and refreshing. And when he returned to the bed, he flopped on top of the duvet and sank into the bed’s soft embrace and, before he knew it, his eyes slid shut and he fell into a deep sleep. 


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur woke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. 

“Umm… Arthur? Is now a good time?” a voice asked from outside. 

Arthur cleared his throat. “Yeah, one minute.” He sat up, rubbed his eyes and made his way towards the door. 

He opened it to reveal Deke standing awkwardly outside his door. “Hey, Daisy sent me up to get you. Cap and May are done, if you wanted to meet them and… talk,” he informed Arthur.

“Thanks,” Arthur said as he stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him. 

“Looks like you slept well,” Deke said as he glanced over at Arthur. “You looked like you needed it earlier.”

Arthur frowned at him, but said nothing. 

“So… I take it you’re not too big on talking then?” Deke asked. “That’s okay,” he continued, barely waiting for a response. “I’ve been told I talk enough for two or even three people.” 

They rounded the corner at the end of the hallway and Deke pressed the button to summon the elevator, which arrived promptly with a light ding. They entered and the doors slid shut behind them as the elevator began to descend. 

“What’s dream share?” Deke asked Arthur. “Black Widow,” he paused and corrected himself. “ _ Nat _ mentioned it earlier… but I’ve never heard of it. I mean, I’m sure there’s lots of things I don’t know about, but I don’t know that I don’t know about them. You know?” 

Arthur snorted. “Well, you wouldn’t have heart about it. It’s a secret technology most often used for infiltrating people’s minds to extract secrets and information and, occasionally, for planting information. Most people don’t know about it, so don’t feel too bad.”

Deke’s eyes widened. “How is that even possible?” 

Arthur frowned. “You’ve been surrounded by superheroes,” he replied. “Surely-” 

“Yeah, but… it’s different. I’ve also met my grandparents before they had my mother,” Deke informed him. And Arthur’s head hurt as he tried to understand. Perhaps he hadn’t gotten enough sleep and had simply misheard Deke….  “How did you get involved with dream share then?” 

“It’s a long story….” 

He’d been nineteen and fresh out of high school looking at an endless future in the equally endless fields of Kansas’ countryside when he’d met Cobb. They’d been in a bar four towns over from Arthur’s hometown. It was close enough to get home before morning, but far enough that the bartender wouldn’t recognize him as a freshly graduated high school kid trying to buy a gin and tonic after his girlfriend of two years dumped him in order to get “the full college experience” the following fall. 

And then Cobb had walked in and plopped himself down on the stool next to Arthur, despite the fact that there were many other available stools, and grinned at Arthur before ordering his own drink. When the bartender had retreated to the room behind the bar to get ingredients for Cobb’s drink, he’d turned and squinted at Arthur before saying, “Aren’t you a little… young to be here?” 

“I think it’s ridiculous that I could be drafted and killed overseas before being allowed to have a drink,” Arthur had replied with a shrug. 

Cobb had laughed as the bartender returned and placed the glass on the counter in front of him. “What’s your name, kid?” 

Cobb wasn’t really  _ that _ much older than himself. But it was just like him to call Arthur “kid”. It didn’t help that, even after puberty, Arthur had remained lithe and youthful-looking. 

They’d spent the whole night drinking and talking and, by the time the bar was closing, Cobb had invited him to New York to meet his new fiancée. And, from there, Arthur had been introduced to Mal and the dream sharing world and then the Army. 

The elevator stopped its descent and the door slid open, interrupting Arthur’s thoughts. 

“You can tell me later, right?” Deke asked as Arthur followed him down the hallway to a partially open door. A sliver of light spilled onto the hallway floor and he could hear the soft murmur of voices inside. 

Arthur didn’t bother to reply.

Deke opened the door the rest of the way and gestured for Arthur to enter first. 

Arthur entered and immediately many pairs of eyes turned towards him. 

“So,” Deke began from behind him, “Everyone, this is Arthur. Arthur, everyone.” 

Arthur recognized a few people in the room by sight, either from common knowledge or the SHIELD files he’d hacked. Steve Rogers was sitting in a chair with his chin resting on his hand as he met Arthur’s gaze. Jemma Simmons, SHIELD biochemist with 2 PhDs by the age of 17, was offering him a hesitant, small smile. Melinda May was frowning at him with crossed arms. Thor was grinning widely at and towering over him. 

“Well, aren’t you helpful?” a woman with a shaved head said flatly to Deke who merely shrugged in response. She snorted and turned from him to Arthur. “My name’s Okoye, General of the Dora Milaje of Wakanda. You must be the hacker.”     


End file.
